Keep Your Energy from Dipping in the Summers! 8 Summer Recipes with Vegetables and 5 Salads & Drinks to Complement Them (2020)

• Pumpkin – They are rich in potassium and fiber. They possess diuretic properties that help regulate blood sugar in the body.


• Snake gourd – It is rich in water content and hydrates the body from the inside. It increases blood circulation.


• Bitter gourd – B bitter vegetable that is a powerhouse of nutrients. It eliminates worms from the digestive system and good for the skin. Moreover, it reduces diabetes, blood pressure, and improves one’s immunity levels.


• Bottle gourd – Another rich vegetable is spongy and rich in water. It helps in improving digestion and regulates acid levels in the stomach.


• Spinach – Rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, iron, and manganese.


• Green beans – A low-calorie vegetable that is rich in fiber and rich in vitamin K.


• Raw papaya – Rich in magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.

• Red meats
• Processed or junk foods
• Sugary drinks
• Carbonated drinks
• Oily and fried foods
• Spicy foods
• High sodium foods
• Caffeine

Ingredients

• Snake gourd – 1
• Bread crumbs – 1 cup
• Sweet potato – 2
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Onion – 1 cup
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig

How to Make

• Step – 1: Clean the snake guard and cut it into thick roundels. Soak the cleaned roundels in saltwater for 15 minutes.
• Step -2: Boil the sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker, peel, and coarsely mash them.
• Step – 3: In a pan, add oil and mustard seeds. Allow the seeds to splutter and add the curry leaves.
• Step – 4: Add the chopped onions, along with ginger and garlic and sauté until onion becomes translucent.
• Step – 5: Add the mashed sweet potatoes along with turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Step – 6: Remove the roundels from the saltwater and wipe off excess water using a tissue.
• Step – 7: Stuff the sweet potato mixture into the roundels to form cutlet discs. Gently coat the discs with bread crumbs.
• Step – 8: Pan-fry the discs or shallow fry them in oil on both sides until golden on either side.

Ingredients

• Palak leaves - 1 bunch
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Green chili - 1
• Capsicum - 1
• Green beans - ¾ cup
• Peas - ¾ cup
• Boiled potato - 2
• Paneer - ¾ cup
• Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp
• Kashmiri chili powder - ½ tsp
• Coriander powder - ½ tsp
• Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
• Turmeric - ¼ tsp
• Cashews – 8 pieces
• Bread crumbs – 1 cup
• Salt - as needed

How to Make

• Step – 1: In a large pan, heat the required amount of oil. Add green chilies, chopped capsicum and sauté them over medium heat.
• Step – 2: Add the chopped green beans and peas. Sauté the vegetables until they are done. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Step – 3: Blend the sautéed mixture along with a blanched palak to a coarse paste.
• Step – 4: Combine the coarse ground mixture, boiled potatoes, crumbled paneer, coriander leaves, spice powders, cornflour, salt, and bread crumbs. Mix all the ingredients well.
• Step – 5: Make them into small flat patties and cover them with bread crumbs on all sides.
• Step – 6: In a Kadai or pan, heat oil, and once the oil is hot, add the patties and deep fry them until golden on both sides. You can also pan-fry the patties or bake them in the oven for 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• Chopped palak – 2.5 cups
• Onions – 1 cup
• Green chilies – 3
• Carom seeds – 1 tsp
• Besan – ¼ cup
• Rice flour – 2 tbsp
• Red chili powder – ½ tsp
• Coriander powder – ½ tsp
• Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp
• Mint and coriander leaves – 1 handful
• Salt – as needed

How to Make

• Step -1: Rinse the palak leaves with water and pat them dry to remove excess moisture.
• Step – 2: Add chopped onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste, and the remaining spice powders. Allow the mixture to rest for a few minutes to allow it to release moisture.
• Step – 3: Once the excess moisture is released. Add besan and rice flour, combine the mixture well and finally add salt as per your requirement.
• Step – 4: Heat oil in a Kadai and when the oil is hot, drop small quantities of the mixture into the oil and fry until they are golden and crispy.

Ingredients

• Bitter gourd roundels – 2 cups
• Besan – ½ cup
• Rice flour – ¼ cup
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Chaat masala – ½ tsp
• Oil – for frying
• Salt – 1 tsp

How to Make

• Step – 1: Add salt to the bitter gourd roundels. This step removes the bitterness and allows it to rest for 30 minutes.
• Step -2: Squeeze the mixture to remove the excess moisture and place aside.
• Step – 3: Mix besan, rice flour, turmeric, chili powder, chaat masala, and oil.
• Step – 4: Heat oil in a Kadai, drop the masala coated roundels gently into the oil and fry them well.
• Step – 5: Drain the excess oil and serve.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cloves – 5
• Cinnamon – 1 piece
• Star anise – 1
• Cardamom – 2
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Fennel – ½ tsp
• Chopped onion – 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Green chili – 1
• Peas – ½ cup
• Tomato puree – 1 cup
• Turmeric - ¼ tsp
• Kashmiri red chili powder - ½ tsp
• Biryani masala – 1 tsp
• Coconut milk – 1 cup
• Mint leave – 1 handful
• Salt – as needed

How to Make

• Step – 1: Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker. Add onions, chili, ginger garlic paste and sauté well.
• Step – 2: Add a cup of tomato puree and sauté until the oil is released.
• Step – 3: Add the spice powders to the mixture, along with salt, peas, or any vegetable of your choice.
• Step – 4: Pour coconut milk into the mixture along with one cup of water.
• Step – 5: Add the soaked basmati rice to the water and combine the ingredients thoroughly.
• Step – 6: Close the lid and allow it to cook for 2 whistles on medium heat. Once done, allow the heat to be released naturally. Serve hot with onion raita.

Ingredients

• Toor dal – ½ cup
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Tamarind – 1 tsp
• Chopped pumpkin – ½ cup
• Sambhar powder – 1.5 tsp
• Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp
• Dry chilies – 2
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Asafetida – 1 pinch
• Salt – as needed

How to Make

• Step – 1: Rinse the toor dal. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt, and water. Pressure cook it for 20 minutes.
• Step – 2: Add pumpkin in a pan and pour water into it. Add a pinch of turmeric to it and allow it to boil on medium heat.
• Step – 3: Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the liquid from the pulp.
• Step – 4: Add the tamarind liquid to the cooked pumpkin along with mashed dal and allow the mixture to simmer.
• Step – 5: In a pan, add oil and temper mustard seeds, curry leaves, and broken chilies along with a pinch of asafetida.
• Step – 6: Pour the tempering to the cooked mixture and allow the flavors to rest before serving hot with rice and ghee.

Ingredients

• Palak – 1 bunch
• Chickpeas – 2/3 cup
• Tomatoes – 2
• Onion – 1
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Green chilies – 2
• Coriander powder – ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Garam masala – ¼ tsp
• Chole masala – ¼ tsp
• Cloves – 2
• Cinnamon stick – 1
• Salt and oil – as required
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Milk/Water - 1/4 cup

How to Make

• Step – 1: Soak the chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with salt and water for 5 to 7 whistles.
• Step – 2: Blanch the puree in a cooking pan for a few minutes and immerse them in cold water. Once it is cooled, puree the spinach so that it retains its colour.
• Step – 3: Heat oil in a pan, add cloves and cinnamon sticks along with chopped garlic.
• Step – 4: Add chopped onions and sauté them until they turn golden brown.
• Step – 5: Puree tomatoes and green chilies in a blender. Add the puree to the pan and allow the mixture to cook.
• Step – 6: Add all the spice powders to the mixture along with salt and finally add the cooked chole.
• Step – 7: Once it starts to boil, add a dash of milk to the mixture, chole masala, and spinach puree.
• Step – 8: Cook until done and serve hot.

Ingredients

• Chopped green beans – 3.5 cups
• Small potatoes – 2
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Ground turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Cayenne powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ground coriander – 2.5 tsp
• Ground cumin - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Salt – as required
• Lemon – 1
• Coriander leaves – 2 tsp

How to Make

• Step – 1: In a pot, boil green beans and potatoes and simmer until they are cooked and tender.
• Step – 2: Add the chopped green beans and potatoes. Stir fry them on high heat for a few minutes.
• Step – 3: Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, minced garlic, and sauté for few seconds.
• Step – 4: Once it is cooked, add all the spice powders and the raw smell of the spice powders to dissipate.
• Step – 5: Finally, finish with chopped coriander, salt, and lemon juice.

Ingredients

• Small pumpkin – 1
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Salt – as needed
• Shallot – 1
• Jalapeño – 1
• Garlic – 1
• Fresh ginger – 1 piece
• Clove – 1
• Brown mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew pieces - ¼ cup
• Unsweetened coconut flakes – 1 tbsp
• Apple cider vinegar – 2 tsp

How to Make

• Step – 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Step – 2: Brush a baking tray with oil and place the cubed pumpkin with a little salt and roast them for 25 to 60 minutes.
• Step – 3: In a mixing bowl, add minced garlic and ginger along with Jalapeño.
• Step – 4: Add the roasted pumpkin to the bowl after removing their skin.
• Step – 5: In a skillet, add oil, brown mustard seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, cashew pieces, coconut flakes, and roast them.
• Step – 6: Add the toasted nuts and apple cider vinegar to the bowl and mix well.

Ingredients

• Quinoa – 1 cup
• Water – 2 cups
• Red onion – ½ cup
• Diced cucumber - 3 cups
• Purple cabbage – 1.5 cups
• Avocado - ½ cup
• Orange – 1
• Edamame - 2 cups
• Unsweetened toasted coconut flakes - ½ cup
• Almonds – ¼ cup
• 2 cups shelled (defrosted)
• Few shakes of black pepper
• Orange juice - 2 tbsp
• Lime - 1 lime (juiced)
• Apple cider vinegar - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp

How to Make

• Step – 1: Boil the quinoa in water for 12 to 15 minutes and allow it to cool.
• Step – 2: In a dressing bowl, whisk together orange juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.
• Step – 3: Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl along with cooked quinoa.
• Step – 4: Add the dressing to the salad when you serve it.

Ingredients

• Grapeseed oil – 2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 6 to 8
• Brown mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Ground coriander - 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Cardamom seeds – ¼ tsp
• Frozen soya beans – 1 cup
• Slice papaya – 1 cup
• Cooked basmati rice – 1 cup
• Freshly ground black pepper – ½ tsp
• Fresh lime juice – 1 tsp

How to Make

• Step – 1: Heat oil in a skillet. Add curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander, and salt.
• Step – 2: Toast the mixture for a few seconds.
• Step – 3: Add frozen soybeans and cook for a few minutes.
• Step – 4: Place the papaya chunks into a mixing bowl.
• Step – 5: Add the soybean mixture to the mixing bowl and mix well.

Ingredients

• Green raw mangoes – 2
• Brown sugar – 3 tbsp
• Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
• Black salt – 2 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tbsp
• 1 tbsp salt
• Water – 2 cups
• Mint leaves – 1 tbsp
• Ice – as required

How to Make

• Step – 1: Boil the raw mango in a saucepan along with water for 10 minutes.
• Step – 2: Peel the top layer of the mango and separate the pulp from the seed.
• Step – 3: Grind the pulp with water to obtain a thick paste.
• Step – 4: Add the pulp to a saucepan along with brown sugar. Cook until the sugar dissolves.
• Step – 5: Add cumin powder and black salt to the mixture.
• Step – 6: Add a tablespoon of paste to the glass and add chilled water to the mixture along with ice cubes.
• Step – 7: Garnish with mint leaves and serve chilled.

Ingredients

• Plantain stem dice – 1 cup
• Boiled Milk – ½ cup
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Water- as required

How to Make

• Step – 1: Clean the plantain stem and remove the outer layers until you reach the core.
• Step – 2: Chop the stem into small pieces.
• Step – 3: Add the chopped stems to a blender along with milk and sugar.
• Step – 4: Blend the ingredients and strain them in a filter to remove the fibers.
• Step – 5: Serve chilled.